Our first night drunk in this country. A liter of table wine, or close to it, from the Spanish restaurant just down the street. It was time, and we needed an analgesic to dampen the pain of walking.

Today, the Pergamon museum on the Museuemsinsel. You know, I need all my t's crossed so we stretched to see the whole thing even though we walked zombie-like that last half, on sore feet. We are trying this new technique where we bookend every event with coffee and food. It is a fine idea, but we have been thwarted by the weakest-ass coffee here in Germany. WTF? We slog through the days in a quasi-geriatric haze until we find a Starbucks and then ZING!, we're back in business.

But back to the ancient: It's not often you can see things that are more than 2000 years old. It puts existence into perspective yes, but conjures other complexities, such as the question of why we are looking at ancient Greek artifacts from the distant city of Berlin. Terms such as "agreement" and "gift" take on a dark euphemism. And yet, we are fortunate for this preservation and restoraation.

Rain predicted today but none came even though the sky was gray. I realize that I am conditioned to fear the worst: a piercing wet that endures for days. What passes for "rain" elsewhere is just a fleeting idea by comparison.